Brazil: Dentist slaughtered 1’000 protected jaguars
Hunting jaguars is prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, the United States, and Venezuela. The jaguar is listed as "near threatened" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
A dentist was arrested by police after killing more than 1,000 protected jaguars while hunting.
Hobby hunter Temistocles Barbosa Freire was the oldest member of a gang of seven poachers arrested by officers in Brazil. Disturbing images show Freire carrying a dead jaguar as a trophy on his back, surrounded by hunting dogs.
The dentist is reported to have illegally slaughtered at least 1,000 jaguars since 1987.
The dentist was one of seven men arrested in Brazil on suspicion of killing thousands of endangered animals, including jaguars, capybaras, peccaries, and deer. He was arrested in the northwestern state of Acre, according to a statement from OECO.
The other men were identified as physician Doria de Lucena Junior, Sinezio Adriano de Oliveira, farmer Gilvan Souza Nunes, and prison officer Gisleno Jose Oliveira de Araujo Sa.
Electricians Manoel Alves de Oliveira, Sebastiao Junior de Oliveira Costa, and Reginaldo Ribeiro da Silva were also arrested.
According to reports, police killed eight jaguars, 13 capybaras, 10 collared peccaries, and two deer during the three months they spent monitoring the gang.
The gang is reported to have used the sound of the cuica, a high-pitched Brazilian friction drum, to attract the jaguars.
According to reports, the gang faces prison sentences and fines if found guilty, depending on their exact involvement in the crimes.
The jaguar is the largest cat in Latin America.
